NEW! Mayor Keith McGlashan to Represent Shoreline's Interests on NEC Committee February 10, 2010
Mayor Keith McGlashen has been appointed to represent Shoreline's interests on the North/East Cities Municipal Jail Planning group. Watch for Draft EIS to be released sometime in Quarter 2 of 2010. Once the Draft EIS is released our Ballinger neighbors will again have a short period of time during which to submit public comment. Keep checking back here for the latest information or visit www.necmunicipaljail.org.
Another Delay in EIS Release Date Likely
January 20, 2010
We received confirmation from the City of Shoreline City Manager's Office today that the release date for the Draft EIS will probably be delayed another 2-3 months due to significant turnover in King County and City of Seattle leadership. At this point in time, the City of Seattle is in the driver's seat with regard to the timeline.
Draft EIS Date Pushed Back Again...
November 2, 2009
We received word today that the schedule for the release of the Draft EIS has slipped yet again due to the complexity of the analysis. Below is the revised schedule:
- Draft EIS – to be issued in early February 2010
- Draft EIS Public Meetings – to be held in late February 2010
- Final EIS – to be issued by third quarter of 2010
Keep checking back for additional details.
Recap of Latest NEC Jail Update
June 17, 2009
from North/East Cities Municipal Jail Planning website: www.necmunicipaljail.org
On June 11, King County announced that it is prepared to offer a multi-year extension of contracts with the 36 cities who currently contract for services. This is the result of a recent analysis that shows a decline in jail use. However, King County has told the cities that it is unable to offer a 10-year extension, and that the long-term jail forecast indicates that new jail capacity will need to be built in the next 10 years.
NEC has told King County it is interested in exploring options for expanding the Maleng Regional Justice Center as an alternative to building a new jail. The County and NEC are also jointly considering the Annex to the King County Correctional Facility, located in downtown Seattle.
The EIS Scoping Summary is now available. This document summarizes the comments received during the EIS Scoping period and identifies the elements that will be analyzed. Based on the feedback received NEC will add the following items to the scope of the EIS: - air quality;
- populations and housing; and
- an analysis of the possible impact of a jail on property values & public safety.
Revised Timeline Issued
The EIS Scoping Summary Memo from the SEPA Consultant recommended additions to the scope. These additions, along with the complexity of some of the analyses, have impacted the EIS schedule:
- Draft EIS – to be issued in early December 2009
- Draft EIS Public Meetings – to be held in January 2010
- Final EIS – to be issued in the second quarter of 2010
BALNA releases Position Statement on Jail
April 8, 2009
On Tuesday, April 7th the BALNA Board of Directors met and finalized its position statement on the jail. A copy of BALNA's statment is posted here: BALNA Position Statement
City Proposes Aldercrest Annex as Jail Site January 31, 2009
BALNA's formal comment submittal to the EIS Scoping Phase with regard to proposed Elements of the Environment has been submitted.
Thank you to the many, many neighbors who shared their comments and concerns and did research for this document. A copy of BALNA's submittal is posted here:
BALNA Scoping Comments
Links to Other Important Documents
NEC Media Kit (a good, reader-friendly overview on why a new jail is needed)
EIS Process Overview
Jail FAQs Page
Jail Criteria Log
Memorandum of Understanding Between Cities
Shoreline Jail Site Aerial
Site Evaluation Study
Low-Rise / High Rise Cost Study (for a 440-bed Seattle municipal jail)
Public Comments Received - Dec 11 Meeting (comments of Shoreline residents)Elements of the Environment
EIS Scoping Notice Links to other studies / documents regarding Jails:
NICIC Issues in Siting Correctional Facilities (23-page document)
NICC Jail Design Guide for Small to Medium-Size Jails (402-page document)
School District to Surplus Aldercrest Annex
October 2008
The Shoreline School District has appraised the Aldercrest Annex property, a 22-acre parcel of surplus school property located in Ballinger Neighborhood, and has plans to sell the site. This property is located along 25th Ave NE near the intersection of NE Ballinger Way and 25th Ave NE.
This occurred despite assurances to the contrary as recently as May 2008. Needless to say, Ballinger neighbors were caught quite off guard, while neighbors of the other site under consideration for sale (Cederbrook Elementary) have known of its possible fate for some time and have had much time to organize. (See recap below for details).
The Aldercrest site currently provides open recreation for neighbors who live in Ballinger Neighborhood of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Mountlake Terrace. Neighbors also use the site as a pedestrian shortcut to Metro bus stops and local shopping. Many of these neighbors who live in surrounding condominiums or apartment buildings use this space for active recreation, such as running, playing catch or frisbee with children or exercising their dogs.
A public hearing was held on October 13. Below are comments received from the few neighbors who were able to attend that session.
To have a voice in this process, please submit your comments in writing to:
18560 1st Avenue NE, Shoreline, WA 98155. For your reference, notes from the School Board meeting and two excellent letters already submitted by Ballinger neighbors are printed below.
Ballinger Neighborhood are seeking to have representatives from the School Board meet with the neighborhood at a special meeting. In the meantime, please forward your comments and concerns to the School Board and email us via the Contact Us page, so that we can keep you apprised of anything we hear. If you would like us to print the text of your email comments, please state so in your email. Recap of October 13 Meeting
The Shoreline School District held a public hearing to take public comments on
their propsed sale of excess school property at Cedarbook and the old Kellogg
Middle School property, also called Grace Cole Education Complex.
The Board was only taking comments and did not take any time to discuss the sale
or answer questions about the sale. Two people spoke against the sale of the
Kellogg property. A real estate agent contested the selling of the property in a
"down market" and discussed State regulations about selling public school
property.
The second speaker opposing the sale of Kellogg was representing Shoredog, a
group supporting off-leash dog parks in Shoreline. There are very few remaining
open spaces in Shoreline. The Off-Leash dog park committee has listed the
Kellogg property as one of six favored spaces for a future off-leash dog park in
Shoreline.
Twenty-two neighbors and other users of Cedarbrook school proeprty presented a
presentation against the sale of that property.
The School Board is still taking comments during their "information gathering"
process. If anyone in the Ballinger neighborhood has any concerns about the
future use of the old Kellogg property - density issues; traffic congestion;
losing play areas for soccer and softball teams; losing a place to run safely
off the streets on a 1/4 mile track; losing a large open space for dog exercise
and a place to play tennis - PLEASE send your comments to the School Board at
school.board@shorelineschools.org or a letter to Shoreline School Board,
18560 - 1st Avenue NE, Shoreline, WA 98155 - or you can leave a message
on their phone system at 206 367 6111. So far, the School Board has received
comments from many neighbors around the Cedarbook school but very few
about the future use of the old Kellogg property. If no one speaks up, the site
most likely will be sold and there is no guarantee that the neighborhood is going
to like what type of development wll be put in there.
Submitted by Margie King
Letters to School Board
From: Margie King
To: school.board@shorelineschools.org
Subject: Opposition to Sale of Grace Cole Education Center property (aka Old Kellogg Middle School)
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008
I attended tonight's Public Hearing to listen to the issues that would come up regarding the proposed sale of Cedarbrook and the old Kellogg properties. I am particularly concerned about the Kellogg property which is in my neighborhood.
We recently got a dog and I have become a regular dog walker and the Kellogg property is our frequent destination. There are almost no quiet places in the Ballinger neighborhood to walk a dog. The only park in our immediate area is Brugger's Bog Park which is not suitable for dog use. The back part of the park is set up as a play area for children & a picnic area. The front part of the park is not fenced in and would be unsafe for dogs who need to run but need constraints to prevent running into the busy road, 25th Avenue NE. If the front part of Brugger's Bog Park was used for dog use, children passing by or entering the park could be scared by barking dogs.
The Kellogg site is much more preferable for dog use. On the other hand, the old Kellogg property is currently used by many people, including youth soccer & softball teams; joggers who use the 1/4 mile track; dogs & their owners; kite flyers; radio controlled airplane operators; and dozens of happy kids when the snow flies and sledding down the big hill there is the game of the day.
To sell the property to a developer would adversely affect our neighborhood:
condos or townhouses or low-income housing or cottage housing would add dozens of cars to the 3 main streets which surround the property. A sudden influx of dozens of cars at the morning and evening rush hours would endanger students waiting at or walking to and from school bus stops.
There are no large parks nearby. Hamlin Park is about 4 or 5 miles from the Ballinger neighborhood where ball fields are available. Farther to the west is beautiful Boeing Creek park and Paramount Park. If Paramount Park Elementary School was taken down and converted to a public park, we'd like to see something similar happen to the old Kellogg property.
Where do you want children in OUR neighborhood to play?
Where should OUR dogs run & play?
Where else can many soccer teams practice and play games on the weekend?
If the school buildings were razed, there could be a section set aside for a picnic area - barbecues, gazebos to rent by the public, public bathrooms, etc.
I realize that this plan would involve a sale to the City of Shoreline, or a shared-use agreement of some sort. While this might not be the best scenario for the District to fill its coffers, allowing the City to add this green space to their Parks and Recreation inventory would greatly enhance a
portion of Shoreline that needs additional City amenities.
Since there was no information about the sale presented at the Public Hearing, I would like to ask about the District's plans for the old Aldercrest Elementary School property. It has been vacant for many years as well, and the neighborhood is very interested to know what your plans would
be in that area.
Letter to School Board
Dear Shoreline School District Board and Superintendent Walker:
Please accept these comments into the record regarding the potential sale of the Aldercrest Annex property.
If the Aldercrest site is sold, it presents a unique and exciting opportunity for redevelopment of a
major parcel (22 acres if both parcels are included) in a way that supports children and families, while also supporting important goals for the City of Shoreline. At the same time, a simple sale to the highest bidder could have the opposite effect. I hope that you will make it a Board priority to work closely and early in the process with the City, neighborhood groups and other potential partners to craft a solution that enriches our community and leaves a positive legacy that the Board can be proud of.
1. The Ballinger neighborhood supports a variety of housing types and income levels. The proximity of the Aldercrest site to Ballinger Way and to I-5 creates some unique possibilities to link redevelopment to several City goals, such as providing a choice of housing types and affordability levels to support the changing demographics in our City. We don't need more single-family mega homes. We need housing to support seniors, single parent families, single adults and low- to middle-income families, ideally with access to public transit. Many of these groups are currently priced out of the Shoreline housing market. Proximity to a major arterial and transit corridor also supports goals for environmental sustainability.
2. The Ballinger neighborhood is currently very poorly served by City parks. We have one very nice but very small (3 acre) neighborhood park across the street from the Aldercrest site. None of the larger Community or Regional parks are within walking distance and even bicycle connections are non-existent due to the lack of safe bicycle routes to other parks, such as Hamlin.
Redevelopment of Aldercrest without the incorporation of significant park and open space amenities would be a huge mistake and a missed opportunity. The site currently serves as a de facto park space - soccer, softball, model plane flying, jogging and even cricket are regular activities on the Aldercrest field. The demand for open space and recreation will only increase if the site is redeveloped with residential uses, whether at low or high density. As Board members, you understand the vital importance of exercise and recreation to the academic success and mental health of our children.
3. Stormwater from the Aldercrest site drains into a small tributary to Lyon Creek that already
experiences occasional flooding directly adjacent to the campus property. This speaks to the need for Low Impact Development approaches to stormwater management, as addressed in the City's Environmental Sustainability Strategy. It also presents excellent educational opportunities for both primary and secondary students to learn how these approaches can be applied on a large site with sensitive environmental resources nearby.
I of course understand that the Board is not in the real estate development business and that specific choices will be left to others, but I do believe you are partners in the business of building and supporting communities, and that fiscal savings are not the only investments you should be making toward that end. First and foremost, I ask that you engage the City in discussions about the future of the site. In turn, the City should roll up its sleeves to identify the types of partnerships that are needed between non-profit and for-profit partners that can make this all work.
You have an opportunity to do something very positive at Aldercrest that will leave a lasting legacy - I and other neighbors sincerely hope that you will.